I have often thought about what to serve with split pea soup. Split pea soup deserves to be a full meal! But it does need some great side dishes to be heartier and more filling.
Split pea soup is already pretty hearty. It is thick and creamy, making it pretty filling on its own.
Lighter side dishes like a simple salad may be exactly what you need to serve with split pea soup.
However, you may want a really big split pea soup meal. A good sandwich can be what you are looking for. You can’t go wrong with a soup and sandwich entree!
Split pea soup is pretty healthy. It is essentially a big bowl of peas! Serving split pea soup with a nice cut of meat can help create a complete meal.
I tried to find a good variety of side dishes, ensuring there was something on this list for everyone. I know you will find your new favorite side dish for split pea soup on this list!
Hearty Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham, Carrots, and Potato
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Sides for Split Pea Soup
I have found 20 perfect sides for split pea soup. So, if you love split pea soup and you are looking for a great side dish to compliment the creamy, green soup, you have come to the right place!
1. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Chicken salad goes surprisingly well with split pea soup. The tangy taste of the yogurt is fantastic with the creamy, rich soup. Our side dish is one you definitely need to try.
We use red onions, grapes, diced apples, and sliced almonds to add a nice crunchy to the salad. Plain yogurt and Dijon mustard make up the salad dressing. Try using sour cream in place of yogurt for an even stronger, tangy flavor.
Serve the chicken salad on a roll as a sandwich, or just enjoy a big scoop. The cold salad and warm green split peas soup are a great match!
2. Homemade Bread
A homemade loaf of white bread is one of the best sides to serve with split pea soup. This recipe from Lil Luna is light, fluffy, and surprisingly easy to make.
Image Source: Lil Luna
A little flour, yeast, salt, and water are all it takes to make this delicious, crusty bread. It takes a while to rise and then bake, so be sure to prepare in advance.
Slice into the bread while it’s warm and serve it with butter. There is nothing as delicious as a fresh slice of homemade, crusty bread and a tasty bowl of split pea soup!
3. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
A great grilled cheese sandwich is a classic side to serve with split pea soup. There are a lot of recipes for grilled cheese sandwiches out there, but we definitely love this one from Spend With Pennies.
Image Source: Spend With Pennies
Use classic whole wheat bread or switch it up with sourdough bread. American cheese and cheddar cheese both melt together in the skillet, making an irresistible combination of gooey goodness.
What makes this grilled cheese incredibly fantastic is the butter and mayonnaise that is spread on the bread. It makes the bread crispy, flavorful, and perfectly golden brown.
Dip the sandwich right into your split pea soup, and you will be in love with this meal combination. No one can resist a good grilled cheese!
4. Baked Sweet Potato
A tender baked sweet potato is an easy side dish to serve with split pea and ham soup. Skinnytaste will show you how to make the perfect baked sweet potato in just a matter of minutes.
Image Source: Skinnytaste
Sweet potatoes are pricked all over and then roasted in a hot oven for about an hour. Pop the potatoes in the oven while your yellow split peas are soaking and cooking in your slow cooker.
The potatoes come out of the oven ready to eat. Add a little butter to the center of the sweet potato to give it a creamier texture. The sweetness of the sweet potato and the salty, creamy taste of split pea soups is a match made in heaven.
5. Goat Cheese Salad
There is something really amazing about the combination of salty goat cheese and split pea soup. Luckily, our salad recipe got you covered!
While you could just sprinkle some cheese right into your split pea soup, you could also make our delicious strawberry, spinach, and goat cheese salad. It is definitely the correct answer to the question of what to serve with split pea soup.
Our recipe uses tender baby spinach leaves and sweet strawberries are mixed with a simple, homemade vinaigrette. Tasty cheese is sprinkled over the salad along with crunchy almond slices.
Make the salad fresh, right before you will be eating split pea soup. The lettuce and berries are best when freshly sliced!
6. Garlic Bread
This garlic bread with herb butter from Archana’s Kitchen is a really delicious side dish that pairs perfectly with split pea soup. It is one of the easiest side dishes but also the most flavorful.
Image Source: Archana’s Kitchen
Crusty bread is sliced and slathered with butter, olive oil, and herbs. The rosemary, basil, and oregano are the perfect mix and taste great with split pea soup. Feel free to add other spices that you love to the tasty butter.
Fresh garlic gives the bread a nice, simple spice. Garlic bread will give your split pea meal a nice Italian flair.
7. Dinner Rolls
You can never go wrong with a homemade dinner roll next to a bowl of soup. You will become an expert dinner roll maker when you use this recipe from Modern Honey.
Image Source: Modern Honey
Flour, water, yeast, and a little salt make the rolls tender and simple. You likely have all the ingredients you need waiting in your pantry!
It can be fun to roll the dough into small balls and watch them puff up as they prove. Everyone will think you are a professional chef when you pull a tray of perfect rolls out to go with split pea soup.
8. Corned Beef Sandwich
Corned beef and split peas go together like peanut butter and jelly. This traditional dish is meant to be! The soft, salty meat from Dinner, Then Dessert, and the sweet soup make a nice contrast that you won’t be able to resist.
Image Source: Dinner, Then Dessert
Check out this recipe for crispy, homemade corned beef. The beef is cooked in the slow cooker, giving it lots of time to marinate.
Serve the delicious beef on a sandwich with traditional thousand island dressing, and you will have an incredible meal.
Try grilling the sandwich before serving it with your split pea soup. Grilled sandwiches have a great, crisp texture that holds up well next to warm split pea soup.
9. Baked Sausage
Split pea soup goes well with hearty meat. It is already so stuffed with veggies that a nice protein side is a good idea. These simple sausages from Brooklyn Farm Girl are ideal for completing the meal.
Image Source: Brooklyn Farm Girl
Lay the sausages on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Drizzle the sausages with a little olive oil and bake the sausage until golden brown.
Baking sausage is a fantastic way to cook an easy, low-maintenance side. No time-consuming side dishes here! Just simple, good food! Exactly what to serve with split pea soup.
10. Bacon and Cheddar puffs
Cheesy bacon puffs are fantastic alone or served with your main dish of pea soup. Make this recipe from The Country Cook, and you will want to eat cheese puffs all the time.
Image Source: The Country Cook
Start by making a simple batter similar to a muffin mix. Shredded cheddar cheese and crunchy bacon are added to the mix. The batter is scooped into a muffin tin and baked.
Not only is this one of the easiest side dishes, but it is also one of the most addictive. No one will be able to resist a soft, flavorful bacon cheese puff!
11. Rye Bread
Rye bread is often served with split pea soup. It is a traditional combination! Try making it using this recipe from House of Nash Eats.
Image Source: House of Nash Eats
Rye bread is a multi-purpose side dish for split pea soup. You can use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches or just cook it to use as toast. It will complement your main dish either way!
12. Honey Roasted Ham
We are crazy about this honey-baked ham from Cafe Delites. It has a crispy, crunchy texture on the outside and juicy meat on the inside. Some sliced honey ham is perfect for serving next to split pea soup.
Image Source: Cafe Delites
Hambone is often used to make split pea soup. Save the ham bone to use for your soup recipe. The ham hock pieces can be used in the soup as well.
13. Homemade Onion Rings
Split pea soup often has caramelized onions blended into the dish. Homemade onion rings can enhance that tasty, oniony flavor.
Image Source: Simply Recipes
Try these homemade onion rings from Simply Recipes. They are crispy on the outside and have strong flavors of onions in the middle.
Keep these onion rings in mind when choosing sides for other dishes. They are a fantastic side for split pea soup and so many other meals.
14. Grilled Halloumi
While your split pea soup cooks in the instant pot, fire up your grill to make delicious grilled halloumi cheese. This recipe from Healthy Recipes Blogs is a gluten-free, super easy side dish that everyone will adore.
Image Source: Healthy Recipes Blogs
It is definitely the answer to the question of what to serve with split pea soup.
Halloumi is a special type of soft, white cheese that does not melt. It will get beautiful, the caramelized grill makes as it cooks.
The cheesy taste is ideal next to split pea soup. It is also fun to try different foods like this that are easy and unique.
15. Parmesan Crisps
It is about time you try parmesan crisps. They are a side dish that you will want to eat all the time.
Image Source: Wholesome Yum
All you need is parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and Italian seasoning. This recipe from Wholesome Yum will show you how to make these crunchy little treats!
Feel free to switch up the seasonings. Italian seasoning goes well with split pea soup, but a little cayenne pepper or cumin may be delicious as well.
16. Smoked Ham and Cheese Sandwich
A smoked ham and cheese sandwich is a side dish dream. You are going to go crazy for this sandwich recipe from Foodie Crush.
Image Source: Foodie Crush
Melted gouda is what makes this sandwich so unique. The interesting taste of the cheese is perfect next to creamy split pea soup.
17. Bacon Quiche
A big slice of spinach and bacon quiche is a lovely side dish to pair with split pea soup. This easy recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch is delicious and perfect to make ahead.
Image Source: Tastes Better From Scratch
Make the bacon quiche and your soup a few days in advance. Keep everything in the fridge, ready to reheat anytime! Both the soup and the quiche will keep for several days.
18. Sweet Potato Fries
We absolutely love the sweet flavor of sweet potato fries next to salty, thick pea soup. These fries from Gimme Some Oven are baked rather than fried. That makes them even healthier!
Image Source: Gimme Some Oven
Sprinkle the fried with a little cinnamon and sugar to enhance the sweet flavor of the potatoes. Serve the fries with a side of ketchup or dip them directly into your split pea soup. It sounds a little crazy, but it is a great way to eat fries!
19. Panzanella Salad
Panzanella salad is a wonderful, filling side dish that is great in the summer. It has so many flavorful, colorful toppings that it can almost be its own meal! However, pairing it with split pea soup is a much better idea.
Image Source: Natasha’s Kitchen
The salad from Natasha’s Kitchen is made with bread, tomatoes, red onions, garlic, basil, and fresh mozzarella. A simple red wine and garlic vinaigrette top it off!
20. Kale Salad
A kale and quinoa salad is an amazing side to pair with split pea soup. The green color matches the green in the soup bowl!
Image Source: Recipe Tin Eats
Recipes from Recipe Tin Eats are always delicious, and this kale salad is no exception. Tender quinoa pasta makes it even more hearty.
Try switching up the toppings to make the salad your own. Some caramelized garlic or sweet cranberries would both be delicious.
What to Serve with Split Pea Soup- From Crusty Bread to Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
We absolutely adore split pea soup and think every one of these sides is fantastic. No matter which side you choose, your meal will be amazing! Let us know which you like best!
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